Amid wails of family members and heavy police deployment, the last rites of Kakatiya Medical College PG first year student, Dharavath Preethi, were performed at her native place, Girni thanda, in Jangaon district on Monday afternoon.
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Preethi had allegedly attempted to end her life at the MGM Hospital in Warangal due to “targeted harassment” by a course senior last Wednesday.
Heartrending scenes were witnessed at Girni thanda as the grief-stricken relatives, representatives of various tribal organisations and political parties thronged the tribal hamlet to pay their last respects to the young doctor, whose promising career was cut short. Slogans of “Dr Preethi amar rahe” rent the air during the funeral procession.
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A tense situation prevailed as activists of various tribal organisations as well as the BJP cadre staged a sit-in, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused, Md. Saif, a second-year student of MD anaesthesia course, who has already been arrested by the Matwada police on charge of abetting her ‘suicide.’
The protesters vociferously demanded a judicial probe into Preethi’s death and said that Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) principal and head of the department concerned should be suspended to ensure speedy justice to the bereaved family.
The police whisked them away from the tribal hamlet amid continued sloganeering by the protesters demanding ₹1 crore ex-gratia and a Group-I cadre government job for a member of the bereaved family.
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Preethi’s father Dharavath Narendar wailing at her funeral held in Girni thanda in Jangaon district on Monday. | Photo Credit: ARRANGEMENT
“She wanted to become an anaesthetist to serve the needy and bring laurels to our tribal hamlet, but fell prey to the targeted harassment by Saif and apathy of the college authorities,” said Preethi’s inconsolable father. D.Narendar.
Alleging foul play in Preethi’s death, he said: “My daughter was a very diligent student and was not so weak to take her life. A judicial inquiry must be ordered to unravel the facts and punish all the guilty responsible for her death.”
A teary-eyed Puja, the elder sister of Preethi, sought death penalty for the accused “to prevent recurrence of such incidents and mental agony to parents”. “He is unfit to be in the noble medical profession and would play havoc with the lives of people if allowed to go scot-free,” she said.
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Preethi’s sister and brother having a last glimpse of her mortal remains before the funeral at Girni thanda in Jangaon district on Monday. | Photo Credit: Arrangement
“What exactly happened to my sister during her night duty hours at MGM Hospital on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday needs to be thoroughly probed and an impartial inquiry must be ordered into the circumstances that led to her death,” Puja added.
A close relative of Preethi said, “The arrest of the accused and announcement of ex-gratia by the government is mere eyewash. We demand an impartial inquiry. The murder angle should also be probed,” he said.
ABVP protest
Police dispersing ABVP activists from the Osmania Medical College premises in Hyderabad where they tried to have the classes suspended over Dharavath Preethi’s death due to ragging. | Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed in front of KMC in Warangal where several activists of the ABVP tried to lay siege to the college demanding exemplary punishment for the accused and suspension of the HoD and college principal. Police dragged them away from the spot.
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Activists of the PDSU and several other student organisations as well as youth and women’s organisations staged separate demonstrations in Khammam, Karimnagar, Hanamkonda and various other parts of the State to press for urgent steps to curb ragging, and award strict punishment to Saif.
Congress MLA from Mulugu Seethakka, MRPS founder president Manda Krishna Madiga and TPCC spokesperson Bellaiah Naik consoled the bereaved family members.
(Roshni, suicide prevention helpline: 040-66202000)